[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 156 (Friday, October 31, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING GRATITUDE TO MEMBERS OF THE U.S. ARMED FORCES DEPLOYED IN 
               OPERATION RESTORE HOPE IN SOMALIA IN 1993

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 28, 2003

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I voted in favor of this legislation because I 
do believe it is important to express our gratitude to our armed 
forces, and particularly to remember those who lost their lives in 
Somalia in Operation Restore Hope. Indeed, members of our armed forces 
have been asked to make extraordinary sacrifices in this post Cold War 
era, as US military presence across the globe has, despite what many of 
us hoped, increased significantly and military deployments into hostile 
situations have also increased.
  Mr. Speaker, while I do want to join those praising members of our 
armed forces, I must point out that legislation like H. Con. Res. 291 
is dishonest and actually disrespectful to our military. It is obvious 
that praising the soldiers is only one small part of this legislation. 
Under cover of this praise is an attempt to re-write history and to 
praise a foreign policy that sends our military into useless and 
meaningless battle zones, like Somalia, where they are asked to fight 
and die for a cause completely unrelated to the US national interest. 
It is shameful for legislators to wrap themselves in the sacrifice of 
our troops in praise of a policy that does not serve the United States 
and ends up getting these same troops killed and maimed.
  The legislation states, falsely, that our failed Somali nation-
building fiasco was somehow related to the war against terrorism. This 
attempt at revisionist history is more than dishonest: it is likely 
interventions like these actually increased resentment of the US and 
may have even led to more recruits to terrorist organizations.
  This legislation expresses gratitude for our troops' ``provid[ing] 
humanitarian assistance to the people of Somalia in 1993.'' I see 
nowhere in our Constitution a provision that allows the United States 
armed forces to be used for the purpose of ``provid[ing] humanitarian 
assistance'' to any foreign country or people. Our armed forces are to 
be used in defense of our homeland. Period. So I am deeply disturbed by 
legislation such as this. Yes, we must honor troops, but we cannot 
honor a foreign policy that sends them into harm's way for ``nation-
building'' or ``humanitarian assistance'' or any other reason not 
directly related to the defense of the United States. I hope the next 
time we see legislation congratulating the brave service of our armed 
forces it is more honest. Our servicemembers deserve at least this, do 
they not?

                          ____________________